Inside A Successful Weekly Race Series: Fifth Street CX
We have learned a lot from the ups and downs of sanctioned racing in our decade plus of racing. One of these lessons has been that a weekly race series can be the beating heart of a local cycling scene. For instance, we were in awe of the Driveway Series during our first visit back in 2017. And this year’s return of Tuesday Night racing at Floyd Bennett Field has reinvigorated the NYC race calendar amid post-pandemic struggles.
More recently, images from a local series called Fifth Street Cross have been popping up on our social media feeds. The photos have been striking. But what also caught our eye was the diversity of the racing - it is not just a cyclocross series, it is also a cross-country running series. And, later in the season, it takes place in twilight conditions. And sometimes in a torrential downpour that borders on flash flood conditions. With riders using everything from modern CX bikes to mountain bikes to classic steel bikes.
In short, we had to learn more. So we reached out to Gabe Lloyd, who you may remember as one half of the race director team behind Reading Radsport. We interviewed Gabe and his wife Kacey about how they were changing notions around crit racing back in 2019 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).
Three years later, Gabe was kind enough to fill us in on Fifth Street Cross… how it came to be, how they keep it going, and what makes it unique:
The brief on Fifth Street Cross…
Fifth Street Cross, or FSX, is a weekly cyclocross and cross-country running event. It’s held rain or shine at night in a compost center in Emmaus, Pennsylvania (adjacent to Allentown, PA). The series is held from the first week in September to the week before Thanksgiving for a total of 12 weeks. We wrap up the season with a Black Friday 100 event - an “Ultra Cross” race where participants attempt to ride 100 miles or run 50k.
There are three races per night. We start with a cross-country run at 5:45pm. It’s two laps of the course and deemed “5k-ish” as the distance varies each year with the updated course designs. The cyclocross races start at 6:30pm. The first race is 4 laps in the direction of that week’s cross-country run. The second cyclocross race follows a brief refreshment break and is three laps in the opposite direction. We change the first direction each week for variety and because each direction is significantly different in the run and ride dynamics.
The course is set from August through November. The borough allows the course to remain set, significantly reducing the logistics of hosting the event each week. During the week, individuals can come practice or use the course at their own discretion.
The History of Fifth Street Cross
Fifth Street Cross is the brainchild of Bill and Beth Strickland (the same Bill Strickland of Bicycling Magazine). They started the series in 2005 in their backyard. Knowing Bill, it was an esoteric commentary on the seriousness of cycling and how cycling had lost its sense of self by forgetting how to have fun even when there’s a scorekeeper. But I digress.
They lived on Fifth Street in Emmaus at the time, hence the name. There was scorekeeping, but always shenanigans. As Beth tells it today, the scoring was more complicated than now, with variable points assigned for random things and bonus points for fifth. But when it came down to it, the fastest guys always “won,” and everyone loved it. They also conceived the original Halloween race, and a 24-hour race with points per beer was awarded. Legend has it one guy drank 56 beers in 24 hours!
But eventually, it outgrew the backyard. 50+ people would show up on a Thursday night, and they didn’t know everyone. In 2009, they decided to move it to the Emmaus Compost Center before passing it over to a local promoter, Ray Ignosh. Ignosh then passed it to Andrew Bernstein in 2013, who then passed it to me and my wife, Kacey Lloyd, in 2018.
Fifth Street CX As it is Today…
Kacey and I are full-time event producers and marketers. Some of the events we promote and are involved in include the Electric City Classic, Easton Twilight Criterium, Tour of Somerville, Valley Preferred Cycling Center track races, and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League series.
When it comes to Fifth Street Cross, it’s a project where I get to really play. I’m an art school kid at heart. While my regular work allows me to be creative, I’m always conscious of many variables in those other events. FSX still has the operational challenges of putting on an event, but I get the chance to push some ideas that I would not be able to realize at other events. For example, I used to Facebook Livestream the event every night (before I photographed) because I was curious to see the potential reach after the event. It worked well, and we implemented what we learned for the Reading Radsport Festival and the Electric City Classic. Interestingly, the power of that effort diminished, which also informed a shift in approach for our other events.
Another example is how I play with the “seriousness” of the event with Le Mans starts (starting away from your bike and sprinting to it before beginning the race), bonus points, shortcuts, etc. I’ve learned how important it is for some participants to get the riding time in before their Cinderella hour comes (it is Thursday night, and some drive well over an hour to get here), whereas others are keener to “keep cross weird.” I probably skew more towards the Cinderellas as I value any opportunity to ride that I get versus when I was in my 20s. Nevertheless, I’m aware of the various preferences in the community, and I do my best to balance those desires, evolve the event, and give everyone a great experience.
Tell me about this photography…
I love Fifth Street because I can practice my photography every week in very tricky conditions. I only picked up the camera a few years ago, despite a lifetime of being a creative person. I wanted better images for the social media of FSX, and I couldn’t afford to get my real photographer friends out every week, so I took it upon myself to fill that gap.
Since I started photographing, some people have come to join me with cameras. The conditions are very challenging, even for seasoned photographers. Light changes by the minute early in the season, but you get these fantastic golden hours when everyone looks like a superhero. By November, you’re simply in the dark, searching for light anywhere you can. The challenge has pushed my learning curve quite a bit and seeing other photographers' development has been rewarding.
This season, Willow Munson, a senior at Lehigh University in Global Studies on the pre-med track, who grew up just a few blocks away from the course, joined me each week. It’s been fun to talk about photography throughout the week and, try new things each Thursday, then see how those ideas were realized. Her learning curve has been steep, but she’s continually curious and isn’t afraid to ask questions. We work through the limitations of her equipment to find ways for her to capture moments that express the feeling of the night. She’s become very adept at single-flash shutter dragging!
Check out both of our selections on our gallery website here: https://longtailcreative.pixieset.com/2022fifthstreetcross/
Last year, I submitted an image from the last night of racing to several photography contests. I was awarded second place in the amateur photography category of the Mark Gunter Photography Competition and an honorable mention in the 2021 Strava Photography competition. I was initially self-conscious about how I got the image because I didn’t really know what I would get in the moment. I feel that “pro” photographers can assess and approach a situation with a specific objective. They know how to read the light, have a “Life of Pie” arithmetic going in their head about shutter speeds, apertures, and ISO, and know how they’re going to edit to deliver that objective. I was just trying to ensure the camera wasn’t so wet that it was ruined. The temps dropped over 20 degrees in an hour, the rain was driving, and the wind was whipping. I positioned myself opposite the light Kacey uses to score keep and tried to frame riders in a backlit composition. Full-aperture, 1/160 shutter speed to capture some rain, and 10,000 ISO to get as much light as possible. I got lucky with a shot that captured the rain, the light, his shadow, and a bit of his expression.
I’ve since talked to a few photographers who remind me that sports photography is often a crapshoot, and the fact that I got anything in the dark AND the rain was commendable. I’m writing that here for any aspiring photographer to remind you to learn publicly, don’t fear failure, and keep shooting.
So you want an FSX in your backyard…
FSX is possible because of the grassroots foundation from which it came. The borough has a positive perspective of the event for its activation of a space that would otherwise be limited in its recreational potential, that it supports local businesses through sponsorship acknowledgments, and that we bring people to the borough regularly. For those reasons, they allow me a very reasonable rental rate and for us to keep the course set up for the duration of the series.
We also have a dedicated band of helpers who manage the firepit, course tape maintenance, course design, construction, scorekeeping, and Halloween celebrations. This band of community members allows us to put on the event in a way that we think is appropriate and valuable to the participants each week. It allows us to dig in on things like Halloween, Opening Night, and adding the running race series. For any event promoters reading this, remember a few things to keep your community happy:
Be upfront about what you would like your people to do. Don’t assume they know what’s in your head.
Teach them how to do the things you’re asking them to do. Whether that’s how to step in stakes, or wrap tape, empower them to lead confidently.
Let them know how grateful you are for their help. Buy them pizza or a round at the bar. Thank them profusely for their contributions.
And then there’s the vibe. Rule #1 of Fifth Street Cross: Don’t be a dick. It’s racing, but everyone rides together. You’re there to let go of anything outside of the few hours we come together and be in a place where the most significant debate is whether Shimano or SRAM is better. I do my best to balance the vibe of the race with the competition. We keep track of everyone’s placing and manage the series points, but we also put a fair amount of twists in the season. There are double points for rain or snow. You must wear a costume on Halloween (or you have to run a massive Le Mans start). It’s not quite as quirky as it was 18 years ago, but the event has evolved from that point, and that’s ok.
At our final party this year, Beth Strickland said, “It’s not how it used to be, but it’s exactly how it should be.” I think there’s a subcontext about how events are living, breathing things that need to change to continue to be authentic to their current participants. I seek that by listening to everyone who’s there and watching those who don’t feel comfortable speaking up. At no point is FSX “perfect,” but it’s our responsibility to pay attention and push the comfort zone for everyone.
If you want a Fifth Street Cross in your backyard:
Be authentic to yourself. If you don’t want to race your event, don’t put it on.
Get permission from your place. Guerilla races in places don’t last 18 years.
Be simple. Everyone races together, not for any reason other than it’s simple.
Be consistent in your “rule” enforcement.
Continually push yourself, but have a sense of humor about it.
#fifthisfirst
I somehow got this far in this essay without mentioning the most important part of Fifth Street Cross: #fifthisfirst. The “champion” of Fifth Street Cross has always been fifth place overall. Its the genius of the Stricklands that has been passed down for 18 years, and it’s honestly just the best damn thing in bike racing (and cross-country running now!). Listen, I love my big bike races with big prize purses and downtown settings, but there’s just something about making riders think about 5th place over the course of 12 weeks. This year was truly special. It came down to the final runs and final ride (the 24th race of the year!) to decide 5th place. I posted about it on our social media channels, so head over for those recaps. I’m getting goosebumps thinking about those last races!
I’ve created an “inverted podium” where 5th place stands on top, and 1st place is the lowest step. I also make huge golden number 5s and golden trophies. The runners get an old shoe and the riders get a beer can. It’s so silly.
For me, it’s a nod to the Stricklands and the quirky culture of this event. Listen, getting 5th place is HARD. You try it at your next series of any kind and tell me how easy it is to find that coveted position after 12 weeks of racing. So to put 5th place on the top step at Funk Brewing with a huge golden number five in front of a jam-packed room of people who are cheering like it’s the world championships makes earning that position that much sweeter.
Keeping it going…
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the sponsors of FSX on this well-known cycling journal. For those of you who are reading this from afar, know that the following businesses and people are essential to the success of FSX, and we’re grateful for their support.
South Mountain Cycle & Cafe has been part of FSX since the beginning, even through multiple owners. They’re advocates for us on the borough council as sitting members and have championed our community involvement.
Blink Optical Boutique is a husband and wife team that got involved because their son races. They wanted to lower the barrier to entry for other parents, so their sponsorship goes to subsidizing all junior entries so we can keep junior entry at $10.
Keystone Running Store helped us get the cross-country running race off the ground three years ago. The owner, Chris, just thinks it’s hilarious. He’s also super patient, letting the series grow organically. He comes to score keep every week and brings us schwag. He’s very open to quirky ideas like predictor runs, treasure hunts, and beer points.
Funk Brewing came from one of the guys who would come race each week. He’s since moved on from Funk, but the brewery has remained a partner offering us refreshments and prizes and a place to have our season finale party every year.
Kempton Excavating is Dan Moriarty. He would come to race and thought it would be fun to add whoops. Since then, he comes every year to help us remediate the land and get set up for each season.
Action Rental is another guy who used to come out when it was OG. He doesn’t even rent the mowers to people anymore - we use his personal mower!
Montgomeryville Cycle Center buys us gift cards to Funk, which I give out to a random place in every race weekly. Again, someone came to ride and thought it would be cool to be part of it.
State Farm Insurance is a friend from the Radsport Festival who loved the quirkiness of the event and became our barriers sponsor.
And Vie13 Kustom Apparel is our longtime partner that helps us with the cost of numbers and series jerseys.
Jeff and Fergus from Ritchey Logic came out to make Halloween very special this year. They offered up some sweet prizes for best dressed and 5th places in the cyclocross races. Everyone really stepped up this year with their costumes and we think Ritchey was a factor in that.
All of our partners are engaged in some way beyond providing backing that helps us keep costs at a minimum. To all of our sponsors, thank you.
Thanks for reading. Hope to see you in Emmaus for a Thursday night ‘cross race in 2023!
FSX Photographs by Willow Munson
FSX Photographs by Gabe Lloyd
FSX Photographs by Vishrut Garg
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
